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• NEW COURSE – Screenwriting Stage 1
• TIP: Continual or continuous?
• Learn the art of writing for kids
• Student success - Natasha Brooks
• Walkley Media Conference
• Editing at work
• Wordwise: Why not soccer?
• WEBPICK: Penguin Party Game

I’m so thrilled to announce our new course, Screenwriting Stage 1 with veteran film and television script-writer Tim Gooding.

Tim Gooding is an experienced screenwriting presenter and has written for shows including Rafferty’s Rules, Blue Heelers, Stingers, Water Rats, and All Saints. He also co-created the ABC TV’s series “Sweet and Sour”.
 
Screenwriting Stage 1 will teach you about the three essential elements of a good script – character, story and structure. You’ll learn techniques to help you get that great idea out of your head and on to the page – and ultimately, the screen! You’ll be given professional feedback and work towards completing a first draft of a short film script.

Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding
When: Mondays starting Monday 16 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

TIP: Continual or continuous?
It seems the more we explore easily confused words the more we find. And there are a surprising number that have become so commonly confused they’re almost interchangeable. Continual and continuous are good examples of this. The meanings of these two words are very similar, but again there are subtle differences in usage.

Continuous is to be uninterrupted in time or without cessation. For example:

Electricity is supplied continuously to our office.

Rambo continually forgets how to use his doggy door.

Learn the art of writing books for kids
Would you like to write the next Twilight? Do you want to turn the bedtime stories you tell your kids into something more? If you don’t live in Sydney, you can still access our courses. Next week, join us online for Writing Books for Children and Young Adults. This course contains the same great content as our face-to-face course, but gives you the flexibility to study from home at a time that suits you. Just like our face-to-face groups, you’ll learn all about writing inspiring stories for younger readers.

The course will cover:

• how to get started
• finding the right voice
• creating characters and stories young readers will enjoy
• how to write believable dialogue
• common assumptions about writing for children and about young readers
• how to structure a story that works
• the secrets to plotting for different age groups
• what you need to know about getting into the children’s publishing market

Here’s what some of our most recent participants had to say about the course:
‘The information presented was relevant and presented well with plenty of examples (which is key!). Also, receiving feedback on our work, and being able to see the works and feedback from others, was extremely valuable! Doing the course online meant that I could listen to the modules when it suited me; I wouldn't have been able to participate in the course otherwise. Also, having the ability to pause, rewind, and replay the audio was extremely helpful (there is so much to take in!) and I will absolutely be listening to them over and over again.’
- Sarah Evason

‘I've been floundering around for ages with a manuscript, and I thought I knew everything there is to know about structure, plot, dialogue and character. I didn't. In fact, the thing holding me back was that I didn't know enough about structure, plot, dialogue and character. I benefited enormously from the course. I couldn't have done this course without the sort of flexibility it offered in terms of time and mode of delivery. I really, really appreciated that.’
- Mary Binks

Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson
When: Week beginning Monday 12 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

Student Success
We’ve just received very exciting news from one of our former Feature Writing students, Natasha Brooks. Here’s what she wrote to us:

I have launched my first book this week. ‘Offered and Accepted: A Recruiter’s Guide to Sales’ is a non-fiction book, aimed at agency and in-house recruiters and shows how to improve results in a competitive market. The book is also of interest to HR and line managers who engage recruiters. I have attended two courses at the centre which were useful, in particular the feature writing course. A book for busy professionals needs to be engaging and tightly written and this course significantly helped me to improve my writing style. I have also signed up for the Building an Online Profile course that starts on 19 July - a major interest to me now that I have a book to promote!

Congratulations Natasha! And good luck with your marketing.
 
If you want to learn how to promote your book, writing or business, Build Your Online Profile begins soon!

Build Your Online Profile with Tristan Bancks
When: Mondays starting Monday 19 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

Walkley Media Conference – What’s the story?
The annual Walkley Media Conference will be running from Monday 9 to Thursday 12 August 2010 and it promises to be an insightful and inspiring four days for journalists. There will be a number of workshops including a video skills with Olivia Rousset (anyone remember Race Around the World?), and a series of panels on everything from interviewing to travel writing and investigative journalism.

If you’re a freelance journalist, Thursday’s program is all about you. There’ll be discussions on setting up your business, contracts, negotiating with editors and the ethics of freelancing.

All events will be held at the NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre in Surry Hills and bookings are being taken now. If you’d like to register or check out the full program visit www.walkleyconference.com.au

Editing at Work
Do you have to edit documents at work? Are you confident in the changes you make? Our one-day editing seminar will give you the tools to turn even the clumsiest writing into polished documents and letters.

Editing doesn’t have to be a tedious task. We’ll show you how you can make it an enjoyable and satisfying one. By the end of the workshop, you’ll also:

• understand the steps involved in editing
• know what to do when you have to be both the writer and the editor
• learn the standard marks that professional editors use when working with hard copy
• grasp the ‘on-screen editing’ marks (Track Changes)
• refresh your knowledge of the essential terms used in publication editing
• learn the rules for applying common editorial style points: word breaks, hyphens and dashes; italics, ‘roman’ and quotation marks; paragraph indentation; running on; closing up spaces; ‘number style’; and upper and lower case
• understand the role of editorial style sheets and house-style guides – and how to create them
• discover how to edit numerical information

The workshop is presented by Deb Doyle, an experienced editorial-training consultant and publication editor. Deb has conducted courses for the Productivity Commission, AMP and Wizard Home Loans as well as many other corporate and government entities located in Sydney or Melbourne. Deb's courses are interactive and fun. You'll be amazed at how engaging and interesting a workshop in grammar and punctuation can be.

Editing at Work with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 18 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

Note: You may have expressed your interest in our seminar, Editing Essentials. This course is currently on hiatus, but Editing at Work has the same learning outcomes as Editing Essentials.

Wordwise: Why not soccer?
Anyone who’s visited England or Europe, will know that uttering the word ‘soccer’ instead of ‘football’ is akin to blasphemy. But did you know that the word soccer is actually a colloquial abbreviation of Association Football? Even more interesting is the fact that this abbreviation originated in England.

Apparently the word first came into use in the 1870s, when students at Oxford shortened the term Association Football and added the suffix ‘-er’. It was popularised at the time by prominent English footballer, Charles Wreford-Brown (1866–1951). So the next time an English ‘football’ fan rolls their eyes at you for using the word soccer, you can remind them of this little known fact.

WEBPICK: Penguin Party Game
Want to win 75 Penguin classics? If you do, and you consider yourself bit of a book nerd, you must check out the Penguin Party Game. The aim is to allocate all 75 classic penguin titles to their representation in the ballroom. It’s harder than it sounds! Some of the images are quite cryptic, but you can ask for hints if you need a bit of help.

If you manage to correctly match all 75 books to their ballroom image, you could win 75 penguin classics AND a stylish Mark Tuckey bookshelf to keep them in. I’ve already started on my entry.

Click here to check it out

Other upcoming courses
Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 1 with Cathie Tasker/Pamela Freeman
When: Week beginning Monday 12 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman - FULL
When: Week beginning Monday 12 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Nicola Robinson
When: Week beginning Monday 12 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Perfecting your pitch with Sue White
When: Monday 12 July and 19 July 2010 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 13 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: DAYTIME Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When: Every Friday starting Friday 16 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395

Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller - FULL
When: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2010 (two-day workshop)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $450

Course: Online Feature Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo/Pamela Wilson - NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Build Your Online Profile with Tristan Bancks
When: Mondays beginning Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Tuesday 20 July 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365

Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Holly Nott
When: Thursdays starting Thursday 22 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When: Friday 23 July 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle
When: Monday 26 July 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm
Cost: $365

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 26 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 27 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Friday 30 July 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $75

Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 2 August 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 9 August 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Course: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle - NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 11 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 12 August 2010 for six weeks
Time: 10am - 12noon
Cost: $450

Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding - NEW COURSE
When: Every Monday starting Monday 16 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Editing at work with Deb Doyle - NEW COURSE
When: Wednesday 18 August 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Course: Travel Writing: Get paid for your adventures with Sue White
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 2 September 2010 for four weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $345

Seminar: Self-publishing with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 2 September 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 5-day Intensive course with Jeni Mawter
When: Monday 27 September - Friday 1 October 2010 (5 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395

Course: Novel writing workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday beginning Tuesday 12 October 2010 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495

Writing Tour: Writing in Bali with Patti Miller – FULL
When: 30 September to 5 October 2010

Writing Tour: Writing in Paris with Patti Miller – FULL
Dates for 2010:
Arrival: Thursday 21 October 2010
Departure: Saturday 6 November 2010